Element 3 Risk Assessment

What is a hazard?

Something that has the potential to cause harm

What is risk

Likelihood of potential harm from the hazard + severity of the harm. (combo of likelihood and severity)

What is Risk assessment?

Evaluating the risks that come from the hazards

Why do we consider the “worst reasonable” consequences

As it’s the more likely to happen as the worst consequences will always be severe like death

How to remember the difference between hazards and risks?

A hazard leads to a risk. A hazard is something that can cause harm. The risk is the incident and the subsequent potential harm. The trailing cable is the hazard the risk is tripping and falling.

What is risk profiling?

Risk profiling examines the range of health and safety threats that an organisation, as a whole, faces. The profile considers what the threats are, how likely they are to occur, and the likely effects.

How best to distinguish risk profiling and risk assessments?

• RP: Process to examine the greatest H&S threats faced by the organisation

• RA: Examines a task, a location and a particular hazard

List 6 purposes of risk assessments?

1. Identify hazards

2. Identify people at risk

3. Better understand risks so these can be managed

4. Prioritse risks, so resources/time can be focused

5. See if risk is under control or not

6. Comply with law, reduce business losses

Three legal requirements for RA’s

1. Employers must assess risks to employees and non-employees

2. Must be recorded if there are more than 5 ppl

3. They shall be suitable and sufficient

Some wider business benefits of RAs

• Encourage worker involvement

• Promote a positive health and safety culture

• Support training and competence development

• Provide evidence

• Enable continuous improvement

According to HSG65 (Managing for Health and Safety), a suitable and sufficient risk assessment means?

• A proper check was made – not just a paper exercise, but a real inspection and enquiry.

• You asked who might be affected

• You dealt with all the obvious significant risks

• The precautions were reasonable and the remaining risks are low

• Workers or their representatives were involved in the process

What are the five steps to RAs?

1. Identify the hazards

2. Assess the risks

3. Control the risks

4. Record the findings

5. Review the controls

What’s involved in risk profiling?

• the obvious safety risks

• the high likelihood/low severity risks

• consider who might be harmed

• will rank the health and safety threats from highest threat to the lowest threat

Who is involved with risk profiling?

• Senior managers

• Line managers

• H&S team

• Technical specialists

• Workers and Safety reps

5 steps to risk profiling?

1. Gather info

2. Identify risks

3. Who might be affected

4. Control measures

5. Report,record,review

What are the two forms of harm?

• Safety harms which cause physical injury

• Health harms, which cause occupational diseases and ill health

The five hazard classes?

1. Physical

2. Chemical

3. Biological

4. Ergonomic

5. Psychosocial

6 internal info sources?

1. Worker complaints

2. Accident records

3. Audit reports

4. Inspection reports

5. Risk assessments

6. Health and safety advisors

step 1 of identifying hazards must always include what?

All the people at risk

6 factors that reduce the likelihood an incident will occur?

1. Low frequency exposure

2. Low duration exposure

3. Workers more competent

4. Few or no previous incidents

5. Lots of supervision/monitoring

6. Good attitudes to H&S

6 factors that increase the likelihood an incident will occur?

1. High frequency exposure

2. High duration exposure

3. Workers less competent

4. Frequent previous incidents

5. Poor attitudes to H&S

6. Little supervision/monitoring

6 factors that influence the severity of harm depending on the type of hazard?

1. Speed of impact

2. Power

3. Duration

4. The environment

5. Body part exposed

6. Individual susceptibility

The difference between acute and chronic health effects?

Acute occurs after a single or short term exposure, it’s reversible usually and result is rapid. chronic is more gradual and from prolonged exposure and may be long lasting.